That's How You Know
by Ash M. Knight
Summary: Emma's relationship with Regina has been purely casual thus far, but she's starting to develop feelings. Sappy and stupid but hopefully fun. One-shot. SwanQueen.
**Author's Note: Just a little something I wrote a while ago for fun. Hopefully it entertains someone out there! The song used that inspired me (as silly as it is) is "That's How You Know" from the Disney film Enchanted, as performed by Amy Adams.**

* * *

Regina Mills was not sentimental. In fact, she was completely repulsed by the thought of feeling any emotions whatsoever. Her "I love you"s were reserved only for her son, and even he had trouble feeling the truth in her words.

When the relationship - if you could even call it that - with Emma Swan began, it was purely physical, fueled by hate and passion, and that worked for them both, at least until Emma found herself growing attached. It started simply enough... constant thoughts of Regina, butterflies at every text message or phone call... the usual signs of puppy love. These signs she denied, however, and refused to let the "relationship" grow to anything more than casual sex. Though the woman's smile lit up her heart, Emma kept her thoughts to herself and declined to share them with the mayor, or even her friends.

But eventually, the emotions became too much to withhold, and she finally gave a hint about their nature. It wasn't explicit, but it was certainly enough to get the point across.

"Sometimes, I don't want to leave," Emma said softly as they lay in bed.

This, of course, caught the mayor off guard, and she said nothing. However, her following gesture seemed to say enough. She pulled the woman closer and rested her head against Emma's.

 _How does she know you love her?_

 _How does she know she's yours?_

 _How does she know that you love her?_

 _How do you show her you love her?_

 _How does she know that you really, really, truly love her?_

Eventually, their relationship progressed and became more involved. More and more nights were spent together, and the more time that passed, the more comfortable they became with each other and the better they got to know each other. Emma knew, for example, exactly how the mayor liked her socks folded, that she hated when the sheriff left her bra and underwear tossed on the floor, and that she took her coffee black. Regina knew, for example, that Emma never folded or even matched her socks, always slept with a tank top on with no bra, and that she took her coffee with more sugar than the mayor could count. They learned each others quirks over time, which also meant that they had learned exactly how to irritate one another.

"Pick up your goddam underwear, Miss Swan!" the mayor snapped one morning, throwing a pair of panties and a lacy black bra at the woman in her bed.

Emma just threw her head back and laughed, tossing the undergarments back onto the floor, causing Regina's anger to boil over nearly to the point of steam pouring out of her ears.

"Miss _Swan_!" she screamed, stomping her foot in a privileged, high-and-mighty sort of way.

"Yes, dear?" Emma asked innocently, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're positively... Dear?"

"Well, I... I don't know. It just sort of came out."

"I'm not your 'dear,' Miss Swan."

Suddenly, the tone became serious.

"Then what are you? A fuck buddy?"

"I am not your 'buddy' either."

"Then what the hell does that make you?"

"Extremely horny," the mayor replied, climbing back onto the bed and straddling Emma's lap.

Though the woman wanted to protest, her hormones convinced her otherwise, and she decided instead to lean back against the pillows and enjoy the pressure of the woman's hips against her own.

 _It's not enough to take the one you love for granted_

 _You must remind her, or she'll be inclined to say:_

 _"How do I know she loves me?"_

 _"How do I know she's mine?"_

 _Well does she leave a little note to tell you you are on her mind?_

 _Send you yellow flowers when the sky is grey?_

 _She'll find a new way to show you, a little bit everyday_

 _That's how you know, that's how you know_

 _She's your love._

"You got off easy," Emma said as they lay wrapped in each other's arms.

"Oh, hardly," the mayor laughed, shaking her head.

"Not like that!" Emma cried, hitting the woman with a nearby pillow. "I meant our conversation."

"I was done talking."

"I wasn't."

"Well, what do you want to say?"

"I..." Emma hesitated, then continued, "I don't want to see you anymore."

" _What?_ "

"Unless you can make _some_ kind of commitment of monogamy."

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

"Where is this coming from? I thought we had an understanding."

"I did too, for a while, but this has gone on too long. I'm tired of feeling like your dirty little secret."

"I'm not in the habit of making my private affairs public, Miss Swan."

"Don't bullshit me right now. I'm being serious."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding about my intentions."

"And what exactly are your intentions?"

"I thought that was obvious."

"Well, it's not!" Emma snapped. "I leave every night, and you never kiss me goodbye. You never ask me to stay. But when I'm here, you hold me like... like..."

"Like what, Miss Swan?"

"Like this means something."

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't get attached. This arrangement has and always will be purely of a sexual nature. We both have needs, and this agreement satisfies them."

"We no longer _have_ an agreement, Regina," the blonde retorted, "and I have other needs as well. So do you. So does everyone."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Like Hell you don't."

"You're being absurd."

"You know what, Regina? Fuck you."

And with that, Emma pulled on her clothes without so much as another word, opting to leave the house in silence, slamming the front door behind her.

 _You've got to show her you need her_

 _Don't treat her like a mind reader_

 _Each day do something to need her_

 _To believe you love her_

It was the next day that Emma received the text as she sat in her car in the driveway of her apartment.

' **Come over,'** it said. **'Let's talk.'**

For a moment, Emma considered going inside, collapsing on the bed, and screaming into a pillow, but she thought better of the plan and reversed out of the driveway, nearly hitting another car on the way out. When she pulled into the driveway at Regina's, the woman was standing in the doorway, waiting for her, with something Emma never would have expected in her hands.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked as she walked over to greet the mayor, seeing the bouquet of bright yellow flowers the woman was holding.

"I want to apologize," the woman said, sincerity in her voice. "I was extremely rude."

"Yeah, you were."

Clearly too embarrassed to say anything else, Regina held out her hand full of flowers and waited for Emma to accept them. At first, it seemed as though Emma might simply turn and walk away, but eventually, after a long, heavily awkward pause, she took the flowers and raised them to her face, breathing in their scent.

"These are beautiful, Regina," the sheriff said slowly. "Thank you..."

"Miss Swan."

"Yes?"

"You're beautiful too."

 _Everybody wants to live happily ever after_

 _Everybody wants to know their true love is true._

 _How do you know she loves you?_

 _How do you know she's yours?_

 _Well does she take you out dancing just so she can hold you close?_

 _Dedicate a song with words in_

 _Just for you?_

Inside, the two talked about the dos and don'ts of the proposed monogamous relationship, until they finally reached an agreement.

"Honestly," Regina said, "I haven't been seeing anyone else."

"Really?"

"Really. Have you?"

"No! Of course not."

"Why do you say it that way?"

"Because I'm always here," the blonde teased. "I don't have time for anyone else."

To the sheriff's surprise, the mayor actually smiled, then did something else unexpected. She kissed Emma's lips. Up to that point, the only kisses they had shared had been during lovemaking. With that exception, though, Emma's stomach flipped like a piece of spinning machinery.

"I want you to stay tonight," the mayor said when she'd finally pulled away.

Emma raised and eyebrow, but nodded her head in agreement, saying, "I'll stay."

That night, instead of making love, they held each other and let their tongues move together, feeling each other's heartbeats as their bodies were pressed together.

 _She'll find her own way to tell you_

 _With the little things she'll do_

 _That's how you know_

 _That's how you know_

 _She's your love_

 _She's your love_

 _That's how you know_

 _She loves you_

 _That's how you know_

 _It's true_

In the morning, Regina startled Emma awake by snapping, "Get your fucking underwear off my floor, Emma Swan!"

It was the first time the mayor had used Emma's first name, and it caught the woman off guard, to the point where she found herself unable to speak any other words, except, "Yes, ma'am," as she climbed out of bed and picked up her clothes that she had tossed onto the floor the night before.

Regina's eyes widened, and then she smiled.

"Good girl," she said. "You're finally learning."

Emma said nothing, sitting back down on the bed, holding her small pile of clothing.

"You know, you can just put them in one of my drawers. You don't have to hold them. I'll clear one out for you. Just don't leave them on my floor."

"What?" Emma asked. "Really?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Isn't that kind of... you know... serious?"

"You're here often enough. You might as well have a designated place to put your things. Otherwise, you're just going to leave your junk strewn about the place like a fifteen year old boy." When Emma cracked a smile, Regina snapped, "Wipe that smirk off your face, Miss Swan, or I'll wipe it off for you!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Regina smiled too and sat beside the woman, putting her hand on the other's thigh.

"I'm glad you stayed."

Even the small comment was meaningful, and Emma nodded happily and said, "Me too."

 _Because she'll wear your favorite color_

 _Just so she can match your eyes_

 _Rent a private picnic_

 _By the fires glow_

The following spring and summer passed with little change. The momentary tenderness had faded, and they had maintained a mostly sexual relationship, though they spent more time together, and the sheriff was now spending nearly every night in the mayor's bed. That fall, though, Emma made another conscious decision not to conceal her feelings.

"Regina," she said softly, "will you take a walk with me? There's something I want to talk to you about."

This, of course, did not sound pleasant to the mayor, so she was reluctant to agree. However, the sheriff looked pitifully hopeful, so in the end, Regina conceded and put on her coat, then followed the woman out the front door.

"I was thinking we could walk in the woods," Emma offered. "It's nice to see the leaves change color."

"Well, they're certainly not going to change color right before your eyes, Miss Swan."

Emma stopped in her tracks and looked at the woman.

"Are you ever going to call me Emma again?"

"I..."

"It's fine. Let's go."

So they walked on for a while, listening to the rustling of the leaves and looking around at the wildlife that surrounded them.

Finally, when they reached an open clearing in the forest, Emma stopped.

"Regina."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to say something, and you're not going to like it."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you."

"I'm sure you'd like to think that."

This stung the sheriff, but she made no effort to combat the comment.

"It feels like a lie not to tell you."

"Then tell me."

"I will, but first... I just want you to know that after you hear this, if you don't want to see me anymore, I understand."

"What in the world are you talking about?"

Sucking in a deep breath of air and expelling it quickly, Emma said, "I love you, Regina Mills. I can't help it. I just do."

After an excruciating pause, Regina replied, "I'm going back to the house."

Without another word, she turned and walked away.

 _Her heart will be yours forever_

 _Something everyday will show_

 _That's how you know_

 _She's your love_

Unable to contain the tears, Emma sat down on a log and allowed herself to cry. Though she wasn't surprised, she had been less emotionally ready for the blow than she had expected. She sat there until it grew dark, and only then did she remove her cell phone from her coat pocket to use the flashlight. Seeing 'Regina Mills' under the list of missed messages - her phone had been on silent - she felt her heart race with anticipation. As soon as she opened the text message, more tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

' **I'm so sorry,'** it read. **'I love you too.'**


End file.
